Looking at the Jianghu status of luxury fuel vehicles, the advertising word "no rear drive, no luxury" is a very important indicator. For a model with a price and positioning above the people, it is not decent in itself if it still follows the common front-drive layout of people-friendly vehicles. Because of the natural movement property of rear-drive vehicles, a group of rear-drive vehicles also put important value points on handling.
However, it is not without exceptions, such as SAIC-GM, whose rear-drive cars have decreased in sports flavor from CT4 and CT6, but the "new American luxury" style has gradually increased and reached the peak on CT6.
Our stereotype that Cadillac is calm and even "Cadillac must be used for wedding cars" mostly comes from the efforts of CT6 and its predecessors, which always gives people the impression of luxury and even administration. Nowadays, when the youth is in power, luxury also needs an updated interpretation. Cadillac also hopes to inject fresh and lively blood into this model that was not so sporty in the past, so the brand-new CT6 was born.
Previously, we had a static experience with SAIC-GM’s new Cadillac CT6. Now, we have also driven it to the Guangde proving ground of SAIC-GM. Let’s experience it together, and how it will be updated after driving.
About the test environment
The dynamic experience site is located in Guangde proving ground of SAIC-GM, which is located in Guangde County, Xuancheng, Anhui Province. It is a comprehensive full-function proving ground with the largest area, the most advanced technology and the most comprehensive facilities in China. It is designed and built according to the world’s most advanced test road technology and standards, covering all kinds of road environments with different landforms, different climatic conditions and different textures in China. And we also had a test drive experience of different driving subjects here.
Regarding the test environment, the site temperature was 32 degrees Celsius, the temperature near the surface reached 50 degrees Celsius, and the air humidity was around 30%. Most of the pavement conditions were ordinary asphalt roads. We turned on the air conditioner in the car the whole time we experienced it.
Before the dynamic experience, let’s take a look at the foundation of SAIC-GM’s new Cadillac CT6.
Although it has a larger body shape, under the brand-new family design, it is more prominent than the dynamic style of CT4 and CT5. Its circumference is 5223mm/1890mm/1473(1480)mm, and its wheelbase is 3109 mm. Such a size gives CT6 a natural sense of stability, but the sharp line carving, slender and low-lying body, streamlined tail and very sharp and narrow headlight group all create a new CT6 with sharper sports temperament.
Compared with the old model, the power system has not changed. The new car is still equipped with LSY 2.0T engine, with a maximum power of 174kW/237Ps and a peak torque of 350 N m. The transmission system also continues to use GM’s own 10-speed automatic manual transmission, with three overdrive gears, and a denser and wider gear ratio. For such a big car, there is no doubt that both ride comfort and fuel consumption performance have obvious positive effects.
It uses a lot of lightweight materials such as aluminum alloy, and the curb weight of the whole vehicle is only about 1.7 tons, which is really rare for such a big car. In the chassis part, the new car is still equipped with front double wishbone independent suspension+rear multi-link independent suspension, and the fourth generation of MRC active electromagnetic suspension adjustment system also makes this car naturally have a very good driving foundation.
In the tire part, our test drive used the Goodyear brand eagle F1 series tire with the size of 245/45R19, which is a positioning movement-controlled tire. The brake part adopts a customized Braebo four-piston brake system, and uses a low-key gun gray to paint the calipers.
In addition, it should be noted that the test drive car has not yet been listed, so it is not a commercial car. Strictly speaking, it is still an engineering prototype car, and its configuration and other details will be slightly adjusted after listing in the future.
Driving and control experience of dynamic square
Dynamic Square is an open space with a very large area. The organizer pieced together a small track with small piles and buckets. There are small subjects such as linear acceleration and deceleration, combined curve, snake-shaped pile winding, elk lane change, etc., which mainly test the handling performance and suspension characteristics of the vehicle and can intuitively feel the driving and control ability of the new car. However, because the track is not large and the corners are designed urgently, it is often the case that you have to brake into the corners as soon as the speed is mentioned.
When you get started with a new car, you can feel that this is a set of powertrains with a lot of power adjustment. The biggest feeling in acceleration is that the temper of the gearbox is very controllable. In D gear, you can lift the speed to realize the ejection start, but for most drivers, you can achieve the most efficient start as long as you step on the accelerator. At this moment, the power output of the whole vehicle is quite rapid, and there will be a short break through the grip limit of the tire, and there will be a little slip and waste some power, and then you will be pushed out from the starting line.
The benefits brought by the ten forward gearboxes are obvious. The dense gear ratio makes the whole power system used in the power zone more linear during acceleration, and there is no power connection break that often occurs in dual-clutch gearboxes. The vehicle shifting is completed quietly and the whole process is very smooth. With the engine howling, the gearbox enters the first big corner after two shifts. Before entering, you need to brake hard.
Matching the word sports, its brakes are also very stable, and the steering wheel does not vibrate at all. As a car with a more advanced sense, you will still find that there is a more obvious nodding phenomenon in the front of the car when you observe it outside, but as long as you sit in the car, this leaning forward posture is almost senseless, regardless of the driver’s or passenger’s state.
Entering a large-angle corner, the main test is the car’s ability to cope with the roll and the grip ability of four tires. At this time, the advantages of excellent quality chassis and suspension adjustment are fully revealed. When facing the bumpy road section, the chassis is full of tenderness, but when it is near the limit, it shows a very tough character, with strong grip and excellent cornering maneuverability. When cornering at 80 kilometers per hour, the car roll is still very controllable under large lateral G value. However, the limit G value still makes the tire howl, but the quality of the suspension itself and the correction of the tire action by ESP software also ensure that even if the speed is added, it will not easily get out of control.
The new car offers four driving modes: my mode/travel mode/sports mode/ice and snow mode. When the combined small curve is challenged by sports driving mode, the engine speed is maintained at about 3000 rpm, and the speed pointer is on standby to soar at any time. In this mode, you can obviously feel that the response of the gearbox is much more sensitive to the curve than that of the general family car, and the turbine matched with the engine builds up pressure early to meet the release of power. When you are familiar with the output rhythm of the engine and prepare for the action in advance, the power system will still respond obediently with the depth of the accelerator pedal, and the switch of brake-refueling-throttle can also meet your expectations when passing through the corner.
Its low center of gravity and the adjustment of the suspension system of the whole vehicle are more comprehensive, which makes the car not only comfortable but also worthy of recognition when entering the curve. The curve in the venue is narrow and the speed cannot be too high. When entering the S curve, it can control the appropriate speed and angle, and it can still deal with the narrow curve with a small turning radius that does not meet its size.
The performance of the power system is surprising when facing the S-bend. When you pass through the pile bucket at high speed, you can make the car react quickly and get the power you want. The curve spacing is not long, and these curves with different directions and angles mainly test the maneuverability of the vehicle and whether the power output follows the foot. Its whole tacit degree of power matching is very suitable for your needs.
In the process of steering, this kind of large car will generally expose some slow steering problems, but CT6 with variable steering ratio does not have such problems at all. In terms of subjective manipulation, the overall steering direction of the steering wheel is obviously larger than that of CT4/5, and the righting torque is quite satisfactory, which is more neutral than that of the other two. These characteristics are actually extra points for CT6. Perhaps CT6 is really suitable for home transportation at ordinary times. Its adjustment goal is to locate comfortable driving or even riding. Even if the damping of two gears is adjustable, it is not an absolute sport fun.
Comfort test drive experience
The reason why medium and large cars are higher than ordinary medium-sized cars is not only the size difference, but also the driving experience. For the new Cadillac CT6 of SAIC-GM, the size of the traditional D-class car also gives it a natural advantage in comfortable riding. On it, you will deeply feel that the charm of a truly luxurious car is far from being replaced by a large number of hot dad SUVs. No wonder important people are sitting in cars in the convoy.
The test site we experienced consists of straight roads, high and low speed bends, and various simulated pavements including washboard roads, high and low frequency vibration roads and broken roads. In it, we can experience linear acceleration, curve dynamics, and the comfort of car suspension under different roads. Although there are not many kinds, they are all related to the common performance in practical use, and can also reflect the performance level of the whole vehicle well.
When it comes to electromagnetic suspension, you can easily associate it with sports. For CT6, its MRC electromagnetic suspension is almost comfortable. The suspension is quite textured, and the handling of bumps is much softer than that of CT5. When the suspension is about to stretch to the limit of travel, CT6′ s suspension is like pulling the car back to a stable and similar posture suspended on the road with anticipation.
The brand-new adjustment as a special skill has brought a very advanced chassis shock-absorbing experience to the new car, and it is difficult for you to describe it with complete hardness and softness. The very American adjustment style makes it have a clearer sense of the road, and it can better adapt to the pavement with better daily road conditions, and the effect of absorbing some fine vibrations on the pavement is very obvious.
Even on the bumpy road with broken road surface and continuous vibration, the filtering ability of suspension and the feedback effect of road surface are satisfactory. It can also show the texture that is rare in the same level suspension when facing the potholes, such as bumps, bumps, jumps and breaks. The front and rear suspension can be firmly supported on the ground for the first time after crossing the hurdle, and there is no feeling of being hard or swaying in the whole process.
NVH’s quiet sound insulation and noise reduction performance has also reached a quite good level. At idle speed, the engine can hardly be heard, and people can’t hear the sound inside the car when they are shouting outside. The NVH performance in the whole compartment is excellent when driving a vehicle over a rough asphalt road. Of course, this is also an old tradition of Cadillac.
On the high-speed loop, we tested the noise inside the car. At idle speed, the decibel meter showed a value of 44 decibels, while on the high-speed loop runway with crosswind, the decibel meter showed a value of 65 decibels at a speed of about 130 kilometers per hour.
In addition to the basic sound insulation quality, the black technology of the audio part also adds value to the NVH of the whole vehicle. The new car abandons the BOSE brand audio that was used by GM cars before, and instead adopts the Austrian AKG brand custom audio, and its active ANC is very helpful for mute. And its ICC vehicle call enhancement function can reduce the noise of the passengers in the front and rear seats and then increase the volume to broadcast through the stereo, so there is no need to talk loudly in the car.
In a closed professional high-speed bend, even if the speed limit of 140km in the lane has been reached, as long as the throttle is still strong at any time, there will be no feeling that you suddenly need to accelerate, but the power of the car can’t come or comes too late, and there will be no sticky drag on the speed after the oil is collected. With the cooperation of overspeed gear, its power reserve is surprising. As long as you step on the accelerator, the vehicle can output power easily and continuously, without any intention of stopping.
Summary: As the flagship car product of SAIC-GM Cadillac at present, its positioning is undoubtedly luxurious and even administrative. But for the first time, Cadillac pulled it to the professional Guangde test site for a comprehensive driving test. However, if you think about it carefully, it is also quite in line with its all-round personality. After actual experience, in addition to the comfortable chassis adjustment like a family heirloom, its power system and driving control ability are also impressive.
Of course, I still think that the daily car environment is its most reasonable destination compared with the small track, but with the foundation of control, it also allows you to have occasional passion, so omnipotence is its most accurate portrait.
